Just One Firewhiskey
by ErinHeartsSTR
Summary: Ron and Hermione sort out a spat, with different results then they expected. RHr, oneshot, T for really light language.


Do enjoy!! T- for mild language but nothing more then that really.

* * *

Hermione Granger walked briskly down one of the dimly lit corridors after hours at Hogwarts. Her wand ignited with a bright light, she turned a corner and then abruptly stopped. She stood immersed in thought and to any passerby might have looked a little, well, off to say the least. Her regularly bushy mane was sticking out in more directions than usual, her robes were rumpled, and her tie was loosened considerably. She was heading for the kitchens, ready to down a Firewhiskey… or five. 

'Stupid Ronald, you're the one that got us into this mess! How do you propose we get out?' Hermione sighed, and slumped against the nearest wall.

'_Drinking won't solve your problems, silly girl!'_

'_**Yeah but it'll make you feel a whole lot better. Am I right?'**_

'_Wallowing won't get you anywhere!'_

"But just one Firewhiskey could make you happier…' 

"One wouldn't hurt…"

'_Oh honestly!!'_

'We win again dearie! Cheers to us!' 

"Ruddy conscious."

Getting up she tamed her hair with her hand, smoothed her robes, and tightened her tie. Hermione was preparing for a battle.

* * *

Ronald Weasley sat at one of the tables the House Elves had conjured up for him. Sipping a Firewhiskey he contemplated what had happened that night. He closed his eyes and tried to pull the memory through the grogginess of the alcohol, even though he hadn't had that much, maybe he was just tired.

* * *

He and Hermione had been sitting on one of the couches in the Gryffindor Commons and he had his arm around her shoulders and she was casually leaning into him half on his chest, half on the couch. One of the things they had grown accustomed to doing the past weeks with Harry gone and looking for the Horcruxes. He had left Ron and Hermione behind and told them to get used to it because they weren't coming with him. They found being closer to one another brought comfort among them selves as they tried to find peaceful ground in this time of war. They had been talking and Ron being him stupid self said something painful for both of them. How Harry had gone and left them. Hermione was far touchier about it then Ron. She took it personally, like it was her fault. Ron hardly understood girls in general, much less Hermione, but understood her this one time. She was lonely without knowing he was all right. He couldn't contact them in case of the letters getting intercepted so staying close to Harry was an issue of hers. 

"Ron!!" Hermione wailed that night "Ron, what if he finds new best friends, new people he likes better then us!" and started crying into his chest. He sighed.

'_How the hell am I supposed to handle this?'_ he thought, racking his mind. When she looked up at him with trembling, chocolate, brown orbs he found an answer. He couldn't let his feelings for her slip, so best stay on the cautious side.

"No one could find a better best friend then you," he said, somewhat hesitantly. She was touchy on the matter of this whole load of new best friend load of BS. "And you know that. You're smart, beautiful," she blushed at this, "thoughtful, caring, compassionate, brave, wonde—" he was cut off.

"I'm not brave Ronald!! I'm really not!" she wailed, and looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "If I was brave I would have done something long ago. Something that should have been done so long ago…" her voice ran off, and she was lost, staring into space and smiling, sadly, like she had just remembered something bittersweet.

"Can you tell me what it is?" he asked calmly.

She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She peeked open one eye and turned her back on him.

"Why not?" She looked at him over her shoulder. She gave him the Do-you-really-want-to-know-but-please-ask-because-I'm-dying-to-tell-you-or-someone-else-very-soon look.

"Oh, err, ummm," he stammered, a blush creeping up his neck turning him scarlet. "Is it uhmm- oh you know!" he looked at her in a pleading way like, please don't make me say this! "…girl problems?" he finished meekly, closing his eyes halfway through and peeking one open to see how she had reacted. He saw that she had taken a deep breath, and slowly turned herself around. She stood up off the couch.

"Ronald Weasley," she began calmly. But Ron knew the signs of her storm. Her anger flush slowly began creeping in. "Ronald WEASLEY!! That is none of your damn business! Go find someone else to pester for once!! I'm tired of it." She looked at him and gave him her famous stare.

"My damn business?" He asked her slowly getting off the couch himself. "MY DAMN BUSINESS!" he shouted at her his face draining of the blush and very quickly replaced by the anger blotches on his face. "Hermione!" he sighed and swung around, placing his head in his hands and sighing heavily. He noticed they were the only other ones in the Common Room tonight. It had emptied out soon after Hermione pulled her I'm-not-talking-to-you act, because everyone knew what that lead to. He turned back to her. "Of course it is! You ARE my damn business!"

The shocked look on her face spook for her self. "I'm _your_ business? Really? Now, Ronald, who decided that?"

"I did dammit!" Ron said looking at her straight in the eye. "When I placed a vow to my self that I would try to keep you safe as long as you lived! You are my _best friend_ 'Mione! You can tell me anything! You're just afraid to! If it's girl problems then so be it!" He looked away, into the fire. After a moment of silence Hermione tried to speak.

"Ron, I--" she started, but Ron wouldn't let her finish.

"Don't bother, I can see you don't give a damn anyway. You know where to find me when you Hermione Granger are ready to apologize to me." He looked into her dark chocolate brown eyes and she looked into his warm, icy sharp blue ones. His words took a second to sink in. Just as he turned away, she registered what he said.

'Why did I have to choose to fall for this bloke? Why? Because he's sweet, caring, knows how to make me smile and laugh, thinks I'm beautiful, thinks I'm smart, and thinks I'm brave, which I'm not in any way. But there's no way around it I'm in love with a Weasley. Ronald Weasley.'

"Now you wait just one second Ronald Weasley!" she said, crossing the Common Room and out of the Portrait Hole after him. "What do you mean apologize to you? I didn't say a thing!"

"OH you did! You were the one who started this whole thing!"

"How? When did I engage in that?"

"When you pulled your I'm-not-talking-to-you acts."

"Oh honestly! Since when do I have an act?"

"Since when the Common Room empties out soon after you begin to pull it, cos they sure do know what's coming!" he started getting farther from her.

'Damn those long, lanky, gorgeous, legs to Hell and back again. Damn longer strides, damn Ron, damn the world!'

* * *

This is where he left her chasing him in the middle of the 3rd floor somewhere, halfway down to the kitchens.

We return to Hermione, tickling the pear and getting inside the Kitchens. Immediately a House Elf popped up in front Hermione and she gave a little jump.

"My, you startled me a bit," Hermione holding her self in a light hug. She noticed the House Elf immediately.

"Winky is awfully sorry Miss. Can Winky get anything for the Miss?" Winky asked.

"Hello Winky, it's a pleasure meeting you again."

"Winky is no body specials Miss, just Winky." Said the House Elf, blushing, if that was possible.

Hermione chuckled, 'Well, Winky had taken the news of the Crouch's dismissal well. After 3 years and probably a couple, oh I dunno, hundred talks with Dumbledore, she finally came 'round.'

"Just a Firewhisky please, Winky."

"Yes Miss," Winky dissaperated with a crack and reapperated within 5 second holding some warm Firewhiskey in her hands she placed it on the table with a scotch glass. "Enjoy Miss, just call Winky whenever she is needed Miss. And the Mister, is doing fine?" With a nod from Ron, to show Winky that he was fine and bow to each Gryffindor, Winky disapperated from in front of them.

After one or two glasses of Firewhiskey, Hermione finally looked up at Ron. He was looking at her with his sparkling, sapphire eyes, tingling with happiness, despite the event that had happened maybe an hour ago.

"What?" she said eyeing him.

"Nothing!" he said, holding up his hands in mock defense. He looked at her coyly. "I can't look at you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. After mutual bicker for a few moments, they both admitted them selves wrong.

"I'm sorry I blew up at you 'Mione, just lost my temper, and I know with Harry gone it's harder, and I'm sorry for making you angry and making you cry."

"I did not cry!"

"Just in case."

"Cheater," she said, smiling at him lightly. "And I'm sorry for yelling it's just, a lot harder not knowing whether he's okay or not. And just to let you know, 'girl problems' were last week." She said suppressing a giggle at the sight of Ron's face. He was blushing scarlet from his neck, to his ears, and up through his cheeks.

"Oh—ok, and I needed to know this why?"

"Just wanted to see you all choked up is all."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"I'm sure it is."

They walked, slowly and with not really knowing where they were going noticed them selves heading toward Gryffindor tower.

"Hermione," Ron asked looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmmm?"

"Were with each other, no matter what right?"

"Of course," she answered, and then swallowed. "Why?"

"Because uhmm," Ron looked at her and took her hand in his, when she didn't pull away, he took that as his cue. "I'd be really disappointed if you got mad at me for this," he grasped her other hand and slowly lowered his lips almost until he was touching hers.

"For what?" she asked him. Her lips almost touching his, almost, just a bit farther…

He needn't answer. He had already captured her lips with his and moved his hand from her hands to her face and lightly cupped it, to bring her petite frame up to meet his. She was on her tiptoes and had wrapped her arms around his neck and wound her hands in his hair, his hands moving from her face to her hips and pinning her back to the nearest wall.

Breaking the kiss for an instant Ron said what he had been planning to tell her for 3 years. How she nitpickingly corrects him over every single thing in his homework, always makes sure his trunk and room are up to her standards, and how she talks with him and plays in the snow with him and walks with him and right now, kisses with him. He was going to tell her plain and simple.

"I love you, 'Mione"

Hermione smiled and nestled her head in the crook of Ron's neck, her tears of mirth tearstained his shirt.

"'Mione," he whispered as he held her close to him, "'Mione what's wrong? Do you want me stop an' go away?" She shook her head into Ron's neck. "Want to tell me?" he asked tentatively.

"Thank you Ron," she smiled up at him as he wiped away her tears. "Thank you for saying it first. I love you to. That's what I couldn't tell you Ron. I didn't know what you'd think. I didn't want one-sided feelings."

"Trust me 'Mione," Ron said tilting his face back up to his, "It's anything but." He closed the space in between them and felt the electricity start to flow again. She smiled against his mouth and he could feel it. He just held her closer and smiled right back.

'Who needs Harry,' she thought while kissing Ron right outside the Charms classroom. 'When you've got Ron, and my, he's a good kisser.

* * *

Authors Notes-- My first Oneshot... I dunno if I really like it on paper, it was better in my head. Oh well... please Read and Review. And please if you have time take a look at my other story The Adventures of Red and Prat, a Lily James fic.

--Airin ♥


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